Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Master Huideng Wants to See You (2)
Qu Fulan’s fingertips slightly moved, and her eyelashes also trembled a few times. She analyzed two key points from Heir Pei’s words.
Master Huideng hasn’t said anything to him yet.
The second point is that Master Huideng is waiting for her to awaken. Besides the allure of "Journey to the West," she believes that Master Huideng is waiting for her for other matters.
For this, he is willing to delay his return, just to wait for her.
Qu Fulan fell silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Honestly, she doesn’t want to see Master Huideng, because she doesn’t know what he will say.
This uncontrollable factor makes her most uneasy.
"Is it really because of Master Huideng? What have I done to deserve a meeting with him?" she said anxiously.
"When did you become so timid and fearful?" Pei Ji’an laughed lightly, "In the past, you weren’t so timid when facing me."
Qu Fulan blinked and thought, when had she ever not been cautious facing him? Even now, she dared not relax; when had she not been afraid?
"Can I not see the real from the fake?" He sat on the stool before the bed, unbothered.
Qu Fulan’s expression became a bit stiff. In fact, sometimes emotions, true and false, can indeed be hard to discern, but sometimes they can be quite easy to differentiate.
For instance, her current anxiety and apprehension were genuine, not performed or feigned, difficult to pretend to be unaffected.
But as for the past, what could you see? And what did you actually perceive?
This is the disadvantage of dealing with clever individuals; a slight overthinking might be seen through.
"You should rest well today, and when you’re better tomorrow, then go to see Master Huideng."
Heir Pei knew his master would leave only if matters were pressing, and it had been delayed quite a while now. If it were someone else, he would have taken them immediately, even if they couldn’t walk, he would have carried them.
But not Qu Fulan.
After saying a couple more sentences, Heir Pei left to attend to other matters.
Qu Fulan hadn’t had the chance to catch her breath when Douya began to speak.
"Fulan, do you like the Princely Heir?"
Qu Fulan: "???"
Usually, such a question is asked after noticing something, but doesn’t she know in her heart whether she likes him or not? How is that possible?
"Why do you ask?" she queried.
Douya said, "The Princely Heir treats you so well that even watching from the side makes me envious. You must be very moved and really like him then, right?"
The causal relationship of liking someone just because they’re nice to you left Qu Fulan speechless.
Besides, is Heir Pei really good to her?
A very ordinary master-servant relationship at best?
Her boss in the modern world also cared for her well-being. Whenever she was sick and hospitalized, he always sent flower baskets and fruit trays, but that was merely so she could contribute more to the company.
This kind of goodness actually made one feel relaxed and pressure-free because it was conditional.
Whereas those unconditional kindnesses easily cloud one’s mind, only to discover everything was a joke in the end.
She didn’t answer, instead she asked, "Do you like the Princely Heir?"
Douya immediately waved her hand, "How could I dare? The Princely Heir is so exceptional, someone like me doesn’t even deserve to like him."
Such humility, thought Qu Fulan, but she also understood, as in ancient times, the concept of social hierarchy was grave, making low-level people’s thoughts humble quite commonly.
"I’m just like you, wanting to carry out my duties properly, not thinking much beyond that."
However, Douya rejected her words, "Fulan, you’re too humble. We could never compare to you. You’re intelligent, skilled, and highly esteemed by the Princely Heir, unlike us who only know how to do maid’s duties, and nothing else."
Qu Fulan quickly retorted, "Everyone has their own strengths, there’s no need to belittle oneself."
What Douya cared about wasn’t that, she returned to the first question, "The Princely Heir treats you so well, in the future he must elevate you, wouldn’t you be moved, Fulan?"
Qu Fulan didn’t respond immediately, "Elevate what? Elevate me to what?"
"To concubine level, of course," Douya said as if it were obvious, "Others say the Princely Heir is indifferent to women, unfeeling towards them, and even after marrying, he probably won’t take concubines. Yet now it seems he treats you so well, maybe he’ll make an exception for you. Such a great fortune, many people can’t achieve even if they seek it; I’m happy for you."
Qu Fulan: I really thank you for that.
But if anyone wants such fortune, let them have it.
"I feel a bit tired, I want to rest for a while." She knew Douya’s thoughts held no derogation, considering them from her perspective, it seemed she truly wished her well.
But differing ideals made further conversation pointless, Qu Fulan no longer wished to discuss.
Douya immediately retreated.
Qu Fulan didn’t actually rest, having slept for so many days already, how could she continue sleeping?
She just wanted some time alone, to think quietly about how to handle Master Huideng.
If Master Huideng truly had insight, he hadn’t exposed her publicly but waited for her to awaken, suggesting he intended to have a private talk.
Master Huideng hadn’t even mentioned anything to Heir Pei, implying he didn’t want to make it public.
Otherwise, wouldn’t he have burned her long ago, instead of letting her live until today?
Even if Master Huideng might have seen something, he shouldn’t create a huge fuss, as she hasn’t done anything truly outrageous.
Thinking this way, her heart calmed considerably.
Then she started contemplating the "Flower Garden Ode" matters.
Judging by the Heir’s tone, besides the bustling business on opening day, the following days also continued to have good business.
This was within her expectations.
According to her plan, the "Journey to the West" wouldn’t update daily, with new content being discussed every three days.
It was necessary to allow previous patrons some time to savor, while giving new patrons a chance to listen, with a three-day interval being just right.
With thoughts swirling, she somehow fell asleep again, perhaps it was because of being overly busy lately.
She remembered during her modern times, being consumed by a project for a month straight, and after the project’s success she fell ill, staying in bed for an entire week, waking only to eat before sleeping again.
After a week, she recovered from the illness, lost weight significantly, but was still full of vigor.
The current situation seemed to follow suit logically.
She awoke completely recovered the next day.
Now that everything’s fine, meeting Master Huideng became urgent.
Heir Pei led the way, tall and with long legs, yet walked at a deliberate pace, seemingly considerate of her recent recovery, deliberately slowing his steps.
They navigated through winding corridors, taking left and right turns, arriving at a secluded path with a pavilion, surrounded by a large bamboo grove, presenting a serene environment.
Apparently, this is where Master Huideng resides.
This place truly suits a monk’s dwelling.
Pei Ji’an walked up, lightly knocked twice on the door, then waited silently for a response.
Qu Fulan’s steps, however, seemed hesitant to advance, wondering if her fainting back then was due to seeing Master Huideng. Now seeing him again, would she faint once more?
The first time could be explained by exhaustion, but how to explain the second?
Worrying inwardly, a voice resonated from within, "Come in."
Pei Ji’an opened the door, turned back to give her a glance, motioning her to follow.
Qu Fulan clenched her teeth, lowered her gaze, and entered.
She kept her eyes fixed on the ground.
If she didn’t look at Master Huideng, there should be no issues.